Survival of Formula One driver may be linked to John Paul II

Polish-born Formula 1 driver Robert Kubica, who emerged unhurt from a spectacular crash, may be called by the Vatican to testify to an alleged miracle performed by the late Pope John Paul II, reported the PAP news agency.

The 22-year-old driver normally races in a helmet emblazoned with the late pope's name, and was also doing so when his car, moving at 230 kilometers per hour, spun out of control and crashed at the Canadian Grand Prix in Montreal June 10. Few onlookers thought he had survived. To view the crash on YouTube click here

The car was completely wrecked, but Kubica suffered only a slight concussion and a sprained ankle.

Race car experts say special cockpit technology, called the Hans system, enabled the BMW-Sauber driver to survive the crash.

According to PAP, the story of Kubica's "miraculous survival" is likely to be featured in an upcoming issue of the Vatican's "Totus Tuus" magazine, a monthly devoted to the beatification of the late Polish pontiff.